Stan Van Gundy knows what a Defensive Player of the Year looks like, coaching Dwight Howard while he won three of them. He says Andre Drummond has what it takes to fill those shoes. And the Pistons would be thrilled if Drummond did nothing more than provide dominant defense while rebounding at both ends and dunking at his own.
But if he can give them even more than that – if he also evolves into a potent post scoring presence – then so much the better.
And Van Gundy plans to mine that vein, too. He’s subtly made funneling the ball to Drummond a priority in training camp scrimmages so far.
“I hope he knows there’s been a concentration to throw the ball into him,” he said. “I feel he’s gotten a lot (of touches) and his improvement has been tremendous, even from what I saw in Summer League practices and what we saw in workouts here. He’s taking his time, he’s patient, he’s making good, strong moves. I think that he’s been terrific down there. With him getting postups in live situations on a regular basis, I think he’ll just continue to get better and better.”
Drummond grew more comfortable as last season unfolded, flashing a baby hook shot with either hand and even putting the ball on the floor once or twice from the elbows to the rim. He’s been working on all of those things, and his foul shooting, with Van Gundy assistant Brendan Malone throughout the off-season. His quick first step, wide frame and growing strength are a package that logically should make him more than a handful to contain.
“I’m very comfortable with the ball,” he said. “My teammates have a lot of faith in me when I do get the ball, that I’m going to make the right decision with it, either score the ball or dish it back out for them to hit an open jump shot. It’s just repetition, day in and day out. I’m getting better and better at it, each and every day.”
He’ll get a little more room to operate, too, once defenses are forced to react to the 3-point shooting Van Gundy can put around him. In addition to free-agent additions Jodie Meeks, D.J. Augustin and Caron Butler, young veterans Kyle Singler and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope figure to benefit from Van Gundy’s proven ability to design schemes that create open 3-point shots.
Drummond’s effectiveness at the offensive end would get a further boost if he can improve his free-throw shooting. He improved marginally over his rookie season’s 37 percent, making 42 percent a season ago.
“Brendan’s here working with him every single day,” Van Gundy said. “You watch him on the side, you definitely see a lot of improvement. He goes to the line in games and you’re dealing with fatigue and everything else. If he’ll persevere and keep his confidence – not really his confidence, but his trust in what he’s doing, that he’ll get better, then he will. But that’s not an easy thing.”